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10 Commandments of Pastoral Leadership: a Theological Study of Pastoral Leadership in the Brethren Church (Ashland, Ohio) by Roy A

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10 Commandments of Pastoral Leadership: a Theological Study of Pastoral Leadership in the Brethren Church (Ashland, Ohio) by Roy A Ashland Theological Journal 2005 10 Commandments Of Pastoral Leadership: A Theological Study Of Pastoral Leadership In The Brethren Church (Ashland, Ohio) by Roy A. Andrews * Introduction Writing a theology requires a framework. To build confidence in the framework, the theologian must reveal the foundational assumptions basic to such construction. Thus, the brick and mortar of this paper is built with a two­ step logical progression. First, a sound theology must be based upon Scripture. After all a study of God should be founded upon his Word. Secondly, the human side of Scriptural interpretation brings discovery and discussion to the theological process. This is, of course, from where all the various theologies emerge.! The human process of dealing with the divine can be seen in terms of the following analogy. There are three streams that feed a biblical theology, each of which can be posed as a question. The answers then ultimately fill the "theological pool" from which the adherents to the theological tradition drink. First, what are the current official documents of the church? This is sometimes referred to as the dogma. 2 Second, what are the writings of thinkers in the past who have commented upon the theological understandings of their time? These are historical in nature and help provide a basis for understanding how the dogma was developed. Third, what are the writings of contemporary theological thinkers? This gives a current contextual flavor to the dogma that helps today's followers understand and hopefully adhere to such tenets of the faith. Before examining each of these feeder streams for pastoral leadership specifically, some explanation is necessary regarding the Brethren theological process in general. The Brethren Church finds its identity among the classification of churches known as "free churches" or "believers churches.,,3 These have an historical aversion to systematized thinking. This is true for their understanding of God, the Bible, church government, etc.4 The Free Church emphasis is upon "right living" not on "right thinking," the assumption being that the true measure of spiritual maturity lies in action, not in thought or rhetoric. In short, a person living rightly certainly must think correctly. Why talk about it or write it out?5 This mindset results in devotional writing more than theological documentation.6 Thus, the Brethren Church, as a part of this Free Church tradition, has little overt theology in any of the three streams mentioned above. Of the theology that has been espoused in its 300-year history, the vast majority is dedicated to the ordinances of baptism and communion.7 To find any theology even remotely related to pastoral leadership, the researcher must examine the * Roy Andrews (M.A., ATS) is pastor of Elkhart First Brethren Church, Napanee, IN, and a Ph.D. student at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. 77 lO Commandments of Pastoral Leadership wrItmgs on the body life of the church. Though not explicitly addressed theologically, there are some clues as to the Brethren views on pastoral leadership and the biblical texts that inform them. Undeniably, there will be some overlap between the theological concepts delineated below. However, for ease of study and discussion, what follows will be presented as the "10 Theological Commandments of Pastoral Leadership." Much like the 10 Commandments of the Old Testament, these theological concepts will be presented in both the positive and negative forms depending upon the concept presented. There will be Scriptural sources and, where available, evidences for each commandment from the three streams mentioned earlier. Commandment #1: Thou shalt not be the holy one Leading as a pastor in the Brethren Church requires a foundational understanding of the Brethren view of the church. A key starting point for comprehension emerges from 1 Peter 2: 9-10. The Protestant Reformation's injunction that the church is "the priesthood of all believers" was crucial in the development of a denominational mission statement a little over a decade ago. The opening words of this statement read, "The Brethren Church is a priesthood of believers .... " The General Conference Moderator at the time explained, "It stresses each Brethren person's role as a priest for the church."s Interestingly, when a pastor reared in another tradition assumed the pastorate in a Brethren church during the late 1970's and wrote in the denominational magazine of his ideas of differing levels of belonging in the church,9 the reaction was alarm. Later editorials ranged from lengthy reasoned biblical responses to the simply put, "Where is any equality of believers? We are all priests.,,10 Of course the Brethren humbly realize their priesthood was made possible by Jesus, the High Priest's, atoning death which rent the temple curtain allowing free access to the Holy by all.!! The implications of this theological point for pastoral leadership are two-fold. First, the pastor is called to ministerial service by the local church; thus, there is a sense that though the role is now different, the essence is still the same. Though the pastor will perform what may be considered "priestly" duties, there is the very humbling yet helpful reality that God can and will use any number of his "priests" within the church to accomplish his task. In short, the pastor will handle the holy things of the church, but this does not make the pastor the holy one. Second, to further this point, the Brethren view of pastoral ordination, unlike that of many denominations, is functional in nature rather than positional. Thus, all authority and responsibility are tied to the task of pastoring, not to the pastor personally.!2 The upside of these points for the pastor is confidence in delegating tasks to capable lay people in order to create a truly shared ministry in the church. The downside can be seen when there is little respect given by church 78 Ashland Theological Journal 2005 members to the pastor. Much like Jesus' situation in Nazareth, "Only in his . hometown ... is a prophet without honor,,,13 the Brethren pastor can become ineffective simply due to the contempt for leadership by the church membership. Commandment #2: Thou shalt not seek to be the head of the body A second aspect of the Brethren view of the church is found in the biblical metaphor "the body of Christ" cited in I Corinthians 12: 12-26. This is an extension of the priesthood concept in that it recognizes an equality of belonging for all in the church. However, it differs, in that the body analogy recognizes unique parts/roles for each individual. Thus, by focusing on Paul's body parallel, the church membership can find individuality confirmed in the gifts of the Spirit while seeing commonality displayed in the fruit of the Spirit. 14 Keeping the aforementioned in mind though, does not obfuscate the real focus of this commandment -- not on the body, but rather the Head - - which is Christ! The significance of this theological point for pastoral leadership can be found in both the body and the Head. The latter point makes it clear that there is only one true Leader in the church. And because all members of the body have access to the Head, there is no need for an intermediary. This point in and of itself provides freedom for the pastor, and ultimately for all involved. Yet, taken to an ugly extreme, there can be a rejection of any human leadership in the church. A helpful distinction concerning this issue can be found in the following thoughts on relationships in church government, "since all are on equal standing before Christ, congregationalism recognizes no absolute authority in the church except Christ's.,,15 The key word, of course, is "absolute." Just as it is reasonable to see Christ as the only absolute authority, so it is to recognize the need for some level of human authority that is not of an absolute nature. As for pastoring the body, there is an unexplainable mixture of joy and fear in providing leadership to a lively, dynamic group of unique individuals. 16 This entails a unique approach to church polity. The foremost Brethren writer on this topic, Jack Oxenrider, relates this connection thus: Because this principle of the body of Christ was and is paramount to the Brethren idea of the church, the organizational principles which the Brethren Church employs must reflect the essential qualities of the body imagery. Those qualities are coordination, cooperation, interdependence, shared responsibility, mutual accountability, interdependent relationships, and the inclusion of every individual member into the comprehensive whole. 17 The next commandment will complete this point. 79 10 Commandments of Pastoral Leadership Commandment #3: Thou Shalt Believe The Best About The Church The final commandment that focuses on the nature of the church in Brethrenism is the high view of church membership. IS The early church examples of Acts 1 and Acts 6 are readily cited as the model for congregational government. The choosing of Judas' replacement and the choosing of the seven for a ministry of service are seen by the Brethren as an apostolic example of total community involvement in the governing process. Three Brethren writers revealed key concepts of how this high view of church membership informs healthy congregationalism. Oxenrider begins with the theological concept of redeemed humanity and its link to church government. He states; "The very concepts of mutual responsibility, voluntary accountability, and the practice of shared leadership are predicated on a view that regenerate people are capable of accepting responsibility, being accountable, and fulfilling leadership roles.,,19 An old school contribution on this issue is presented by Smith Rose who when describing the rationale for Brethren polity describes an idyllic church membership.
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